Official Review: Secrets of the Blessed by C. A. Lemaster

Post by **kandscreeley** » 01 Dec 2017, 14:12

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Secrets of the Blessed" by C. A. Lemaster.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Secrets of the Blessed by C. A. Lemaster is a non-fiction book of about 200 pages. It is a Christian living book written by a pastor who struggles with Bipolar disorder. This book is meant to be hope and encouragement for those who are following in the footsteps of Jesus.

Mr. Lemaster's goal in writing this book was to give hope to those who are hurting. He does this by combing through various passages of the Bible and, from them, giving guidelines for becoming more Christlike. The book is split up into 10 different parts with several chapters devoted to explaining each.

In part one, the author discusses faith. Part two is all about the doubts that plague us. Following that, he discusses our own individual histories. In part four, we learn about forgiveness of ourselves and others. Parts five and six are devoted to living in freedom from the law in love. Mr. Lemaster then moves on to the questions that we ask ourselves such as "Why?" In part eight, we delve into wisdom. Parts nine and ten are basically extras covering Christmastime as well as various other musings.

The passages that were most meaningful to me were the author's discussion of freedom from the law. As a Christian, it's easy to fall into the trap of self-imposed rule making. We want to live a holy life, so we tell ourselves that these are the rules we must follow. However, Christ died to set us free from the law. So, how are we then to live? In love. We are to love God and love others as ourselves. If we simply follow those two principles, we will be living a holy life. This was a great reminder for me.

I love the organization of the ideas presented. The author does a good job of breaking each thought into parts and then into even smaller chapters. This helps keep the reader from getting overwhelmed. It is easier to digest a short chapter; once we understand that, we can move onto another chapter. I also enjoyed the many passages of scripture that Mr. Lemaster uses to bring home his point. It is obvious that this book has been well researched. These are not just the musings of a former pastor; he has supported these thoughts with words from those greater and more learned than himself - specifically, the Bible.

The only possible negative that I can bring up is that this book is not for a wide audience. The author had a specific reader in mind when he wrote it, and I don't think anyone other than these readers would get much from the message here. This book is specifically to Christians who need bolstering in their walk. This book is not meant to be for very young Christians or those who do not believe in God.

Secrets of the Blessed was a blessing to me and reminded me of some truths that I know but haven't fully assimilated yet. Other than being for a target audience, I find no fault with the book. Therefore, I rate this a 4 out of 4 stars. I fully recommend this to any Christians who want a deeper walk with the Lord.

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Secrets of the Blessed
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Mercelle · Post by **Mercelle** » 10 Dec 2017, 15:30

Hope and encouragement are two things a person needs in order to forge on in life. When it comes to religious books, I find them more appealing when they don't have a judgemental tone to them.
You did this one justice with your review.

kislany · Post by **kislany** » 10 Dec 2017, 16:42

A great review, I enjoyed reading it. You are right, it is for a very specific audience. I am not religious, but I am following my own spiritual path. I don't think this book is for me, tbh.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 10 Dec 2017, 20:37

Mercy - it was encouraging. Love was a big theme in it.

Kislany - hope you find one that is for you. Thanks.

hidalgomaikah01 · Post by **hidalgomaikah01** » 11 Dec 2017, 04:37

Very helpful review.

Marissa Michael · Post by **Marissa Michael** » 11 Dec 2017, 06:25

Indeed God is love. We need to love God and love our neighbours as ourselves. I want to have a deeper walk with God. So I believe this book is for me. Thank you for your informative review.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 11 Dec 2017, 08:51

Thanks for commenting ParadoxicalWoman!

MarisaRose · Post by **MarisaRose** » 12 Dec 2017, 06:40

While this book doesn't seem like one for me, it sounds like the author was successful in delivering his message to the intended audience. Thanks for the insight!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 12 Dec 2017, 08:45

Thanks Marisa. I know this one isn't for everyone, but it doesn't make it a bad book. Just a specific audience.

I always enjoy reading your comments.

Tango · Post by **Tango** » 12 Dec 2017, 19:29

I really like the way it's organized. It sounds like a book that you could come back to in specific situations and immediately flip to a particularly helpful section. Thanks for a lovely review!

inaramid · Post by **inaramid** » 12 Dec 2017, 22:09

What interests me more about this book is the author's background. I'm expecting some interplay of psychology and religion in this book.

Sahani Nimandra · Post by **Sahani Nimandra** » 13 Dec 2017, 06:17

I'm very happy to come across this book. It is great to see a religious books spring up in a world that need help!
Thank you very much for explaining it in detail. As well thank you to the author for doing a great service as a religious teacher to the society.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 13 Dec 2017, 08:58

Tango- Thanks. You could go to a particular part, but I think it's best to read as a whole. It all builds on each other.

inaramid- The author's background is definitely intriguing and does come in to play here.

Sahani- Thank you for commenting. It was a good book.